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Clarine
General Clarine is a 22 year old student studying at the University of Verdigris, Monté (UVM). She is currently pursuing a double bachelor degree in Business and Finance, though leads an introverted life beyond school away from the eyes of many. She is also the leader of a small team of young illegal pokemon traders that go by the name of AVALON, but even the organization can't escape the League's prying eyes. Clarine has no choice but to abide by the League's rules, becoming one of their sponsored trainers. Analytical, steadfast and intelligent, she's a trainer that can hold her ground despite her limited experience in actual battles. History (Background) Clarine was born in Verdigris - the city that she's stayed in her entire life. Not once has she ventured out there, but never has she had the desire to. She was raised by a single mother after her parents' divorce a year after her birth, which had paved way towards poor living conditions. Her life before middle school school was simple - blissful, even, as she greatly enjoyed others' company in kindergarten and elementary school. Known to be a bright, attentive 'little miss', teachers absolutely adored her energy and pure optimism as a young child that had yet to be brought down by the world. However, while it wasn't quite Clarine's fault for growing up in a lower-middle class family, the financial burden laid upon her struggling mother was one that would lead to a fragile relationship between the two. This made young Clarine study even harder, cranking it up to the max in order to 'justify the money spent on her', but everyone around her paid no mind to the growing signs of stress. Clarine, in year seven at that time, began to crack...''while her still-struggling mother slowly turned towards alcoholism. The father that her mom still yearned for had never returned, nor provided financial aid after winning in court - Clarine's quite certain that he wanted to get away scot-free from a doomed marriage. While Clarine offered to drop out of school in attempt to preserve their family's cash, her mom was still adamant about funding her through life; it was a decision made out of love, and helpless Clarine knew that. She had no other choice but to continue, while her optimism and hope in life continued to take a dive under pressure, guilt, and her mother's increasing abusive behavior. High school had come, and Clarine's stress (and now anxiety) began chipping away at her grades even further. What had once been a straight-A student was now barely able to stay afloat. This led to a dangerous cycle where her intoxicated mother would condemn her for slacking off, also blaming her for wasting more of her cash, which impacted Clarine further. She started seeing a long-term classmate by the name of Lawrence - a slightly sporty 'nerd' that seemed to had picked up on her change over time. They had known each other since kindergarten, and Lawrence mentioned how they used to play together during break, and how she'd wrestle with him and win every time. In the midst of stress and tension at home, Clarine turned to Lawrence, and a romance bloomed. This didn't last long, though, for Lawrence, like any other kid his age, was just eager to lose his V-card, and the still-observant Clarine had picked up on his assertive advances. Not only that, but he was trying to help her not out of care or friendship, but as an achievement that he could boast to his group of friends - a popular 'hipster' group that had despised her from the start. He saw her as someone broken, and he wanted to 'be the hero', nothing more. This broke Clarine's heart, and the relationship came to an abrupt close, her popularity tarnished further after Lawrence spread fake rumors about 'taking Clarine like a champ'. It was then when her former outgoing nature then caved and collapsed completely, forcing her to abandon a group of confused friends - poor young'ins who just couldn't understand. Gone were the days when she joined the rest at the school cafeteria, the times when she delivered insightful presentations, and the weekends when even took part in various clubs. When Clarine's mother finally inflicted the first physical blow upon a sulking Clarine, the life with emotional tethers had ended. She hid from her mother, who still loved her and funded her education, but gave in to alcoholism and brought abuse into the family. She hid from Lawrence...and even her older friends she had left that still wanted her back. She couldn't face anyone anymore, and that was that. And so, Clarine's life in high school was known to no-one. She had lunch at places where nobody would go. The seat at the back of the classroom at the most inconspicuous corner would always be claimed by her. This, of course, had gathered the attention of the school bullies, but even they were shocked when Clarine showed little to no emotion towards their acts - soon, these bullies gave up, noting her glazed eyes and an empty void in her eyes that had once held the spark of a genius. Her entire life could be seen as...normal, really. No pokemon training, no adventures, no going around a region with only your pokemon and some pokeballs at the age of ten...she was normal. A nobody, in other words. Clarine passed. And graduated. Yet what followed suit was a complete mess. Clarine's mother, who had supported her thus far, finally couldn't take the financial burden any longer and demanded Clarine to work outside. By then, Clarine had been plagued by depression, but was unable to secure any medication due to the aforementioned financial struggle. Finding a job outside was not only difficult for her, but the number of minimum-wage jobs had been dwindling due to automated machines in the service industry. She, unfortunately, could not compete against a fresh batch of healthy graduates, no matter how hard she tried. It was clear to both mother and daughter that a degree was needed to secure a safe job in Verdigris, and this angered her mother even further. The physical and emotional abuse that Clarine received slowly increase to unbearable levels, further keeping the poor gal from going outside in fear of showing those wounds. After a long night of reevaluating life, Clarine decided to run away into the world alone. After being approved of a hefty student loan, Clarine rented a studio apartment, enrolled herself into University of Verdigris, Monté (barely), and began living her life in debt. This eventually led to the realization that the funds would have to get repaid ''somehow, but finding regular work outside of school still proved to be too difficult. Instead, Clarine turned to the internet, where her social skills could still blossom to a degree. After one year at UVM, she had set up her own private, encrypted server, and a whole set of counter-measures against internet provider surveillance. She began to explore the darker sections of the net, where she would then engage in illegal trading - buying high, selling low, to customers without an official license from the League - customers that were willing to pay loads of cash. Through her newfound connections, she also managed to recruit help from like-minded folks on the internet, forming a small, all-female underground organization known as AVALON. They took part in organizing pokemon, moving them from place to place, and even scheduling underground leagues. They scouted nearby areas, including Firelight, for noteworthy pokemon that they could then poach. Clarine was methodical, analytical...''effective, ''without any moral compass and emotional tethers to constrain her. She saw pokemon as trading cards, as tools, tools that could be replaced at any time. They could be traded when they were relevant, then tossed away a day after. Distancing herself from the world of pokemon was in line with her lifestyle, so even if she paid close attention to the 'meta' and how pokemon battled and lived, she had never bonded with one. That being said, this sort of talent would be quite useful should she ever pick up a pokeball. AVALON quickly thrived under Clarine's unyielding execution, and eventually landed on the League's radar after two more years of activity. Clarine was soon contacted by a League agent named Porter, and was offered to work with them - if she wanted to stay away from legal trouble. With no other choice, Clarine agreed, and began her journey as a League trainer for the Red Clover Conference. Still, life was...lonely. Clarine had nobody to turn to, and had kept everything within her for years by then. She no longer talked to her mother, who hed seemingly abandoned her as well. She watched as all her other schoolmates went on to achieve bigger, better things, while she continued to rot at home. Leaving school by herself, eating by herself...things that she had grown accustomed to throughout her childhood, were still commonplace in university. Then on one special day she encountered Wally (after Red, out of all people!). There was something within her that made her gravitate towards him. Perhaps it was the the voice within her that begged to be heard - by someone that could possibly understand her. Someone that would not laugh or judge as she opened her doors, or see her as a trophy or a charity case. Yet, Clarine had been so closeted, so distant from reality...only time could tell if the two would get along. Thankfully, after some...struggles, Wally and Clarine seem to have become friends...to a degree. There were blunders, all on her part due to how awkward she could be, but that shine in her eyes - one that had lied dormant for over a decade, could hope to resurface one day. Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Natives